TODAY’S DEVOTION (TUESDAY 19TH MARCH 2024)
“Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.
Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” James 1:13-15 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 79TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF IMPACT.
This is the day the LORD has made, we shall rejoice and be glad in it. Daily, God has been loading us with benefits. We remain ever grateful to Him.
Some trust in chariots and others in their horses, but we will remember the name of the LORD our God, who formed us from our mother’s womb and has a History of not forsaking His own.
It is my prayer that His voice comes to you this morning as never before. Amen!!
Today, we will be looking at the subject of network. I am not referring to network marketing, communication networks, data processing networks, or the network of financial institutions, etc. All these networks are very helpful to the Human race, but I am talking about something spiritual.
The most dangerous network in the world is not among the drug barons, arms dealers, or international criminals. It is not even among predators. The most dangerous network is within every man. It is the internal network between the flesh, the devil, and the world that has destroyed human souls for generations.
If you recognize other networks but do not recognize and deal with this one, you might enjoy peace in this life, but eternal punishment in the life to come.
Most time we do not take note of the greatest threat to our faith.
I submit to you that the network of the flesh, the devil, and the world system, is the greatest threat to our faith. The reason is obvious; every fall into sin, falling away from the faith, departure from the faith, or every form of apostasy, is traceable to it.
For instance, it is the network between the flesh, the devil, and the world that is responsible for the many young people that are ruining their lives with premarital sex, pornography, wild living, and release of vile passions.
From 1st Corinthians chapter 10, we can see that it is the very network that stopped Israel from entering the promised land and can stop any of us. That is why the Bible says, let he that thinketh he stands, take heed least he falls.
One major thing to take heed of is this dangerous network.
DON’T FORGET, THE SAME NETWORK DESTROYED THE REDEMPTIVE MINISTRY OF SAMSON IN JUDGES 16.
This network was responsible for the near ruin of David, when he slept with a man’s wife to satisfy his flesh. It made him to go further by killing her husband to cover it up. Though God would later forgive and restore him back after his deep repentance, we must not forget the power of this network.
This dangerous network has broken down marriages, shut down very powerful ministries, locked up promising lives in spiritual prisons, and done much more than human words can describe.
Eternally, the network is responsible for every soul found in hell.
In our generation today, it has adulterated the gospel on the lips of so many, and has taken most believers from Christianity to insanity, from purity to impurity, from consecration to desecration, from Holiness to filthiness, etc.
So many who are alive today must break the power of this network over their hearts, else it will be tragic with them eternally when they fulfill their days. Friend, it is when we yield to the Holy Spirit to conquer this terrible network, that we can have rest in this life and the life to come.
In the area of marriage, most people are single today, while others having very troubling marriages because the network is keeping them in such marital states. Yes, not all will get married due to the seasons that are upon us, but some will, and this network is keeping them either single or in trouble marriages.
There are people who are sick and have no hope of healing because of this terrible network. Only the mercy of God can rescue them like it did one man in Bible days, who was made sick by the network but rescued by the mercy of the LORD.
The Bible says Jesus healed him, and then said to him, “Sin no more least a worst thing come upon you” (John 5:1-14). We can see how sin brought a disease for so many years on this man. There are no words to describe all that sin has caused us.
For those who might not know, sin is a form of lawlessness that results when a man submits to, instead of rebel against, this destructive network. We must fight the network daily by fighting sin.
THE AMPLIFIED VERSION OF HEBREWS 12:3-4 SAID;
“Just think of Him Who endured from sinners such grievous opposition and bitter hostility against Himself [reckon up and consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you may not grow weary or exhausted, losing heart and relaxing and fainting in your minds.”
“You have not yet struggled and fought agonizingly against sin, nor have you yet resisted and withstood to the point of pouring out your [own] blood.”
What truth can we glean from this? First, it is important to note that the battle against this internal network is real. It requires more redemption strength to conquer than many have thought.
Secondly, God wants every of His Child not to grow weary, lose heart, relax, or faint in mind, because of this network, especially when it moves against us. He has made all help available to us in His Kingdom.
He wants us to always make use of that help through prayer, and put up a fight and strong resistance against it. His word says, “You have not yet struggled and fought agonizingly against sin, nor have you yet resisted and withstood to the point of pouring out your [own] blood.”
He wants us to use the blood of Jesus as a weapon, and the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit as the fire to deal with it.
Though many believers, in the dark places of the earth, are resisting sin and Satan to the point of pouring out their own blood and Glory be to God who have been supplying them with the grace to do so, for some of us it has not gotten to that point.
Child of God, it is important to note that the network of our flesh with the devil and the world to take us to hell is real and we must understand the power and pardon of God helps us to conquer it.
Our devotional text made it clear that victory against it begins from understanding how it works within us. It begins from our understanding of how it functions.
THE TEXT BEGAN BY SAYING GOD IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR TEMPTATIONS.
He could allow trials but He is not responsible for any of them. Meaning, God is not part of this dangerous network. His vision is to help us defeat it. That is why He has exposed in His word how it functions. The word went further to say;
“But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”
What is it that entices our desires and draws us away from the right path into temptations? The answer is obvious. The devil and the lost world, networking with our flesh!
Meaning, if we can resist or endure temptation; if we will not submit to it, we will be victorious against the network.
Talking about endurance, Jesus made it clear to the end time Church that, endurance will be the survival key of the Kingdom in a terminal generation. Friend, we are in a terminal generation. So, if we cannot use the grace of the LORD or stand upon His promises to endure all things, we will be out, or ruined completely.
Sadly, many of us no longer know how to endure pains, trials, and temptation.
Yes, we seem to have lost this survival key, hence not surviving the terrible onslaught of Satan that comes in form of temptations, trials, and all that life throws at us. Our endurance capacity seems to have faded away. That is why we are living very defeated lives!
We will go into marriages and if something that needs endurance springs up, we back out of the marriage saying it is no longer God’s will. We will enter into a covenant relationship with a man of God; a relationship we know God initiated, and when something that we need to endure takes place we will disengage from it as quickly as possible. Saying it’s no longer God’s will.
We will join a spiritual family we know God raised for us, but when a rebuke, a teaching, or a call for Holiness that we need to heed to through endurance comes, we disembark, saying it is no longer God’s will for us to be there.
Friend, one of the most powerful ways to neutralize the network of our flesh with the lost world and the devil to destroy us, is the way of endurance. We must learn to endure trials, the pains of doing or being in God’s will, and temptations that comes our way.
WE MUST NOT BOW TO THEM OR REACT IN A VERY BAD WAY.
The Bible says,
“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” (James 1:12 NKJV)
A generation, therefore, that does not endure the temptations, trials, or pains of doing or being in God’s will, or the troubles that are necessary for kingdom gains will lose the approval of God.
They will never be approved for greater works this end time or greater rewards in the times to come.
Sadly, the devil will give us something else to endure if we do not endure the right things; he will give us something that will never bless us in this life, or bring eternal rewards to us in the next life if we endure, to live our days enduring.
Amazingly, I have found many of us in the faith graciously enduring such things.
We endure marriages that are not God’s will for us, preachers who feed us with things that will never help us to make Heaven, Churches that are gates of hell on earth, people God did not place in our lives, etc. We endure all dark things but have no capacity to endure what is God’s will, way, or word for our lives.
Friend, as we bring this to a close, I want to ask you this; is there something in your life, family or ministry that you are enduring right now, that will not bless you at the end, or bring any eternal rewards to you when you die? The LORD needs to reveal it to you.
Life is too short and precious to be spent enduring what will not bless you or earn you an approval before God. Yes, life is too short and precious to be spent enduring things that are making us to be approved and commended by men, but not approved or commended by God.
Our lives were not designed to be lived that way. It is therefore important to live our days enduring only the things that falls in line with God’s will for us, and nothing else.
The truth remains, if we refuse to endure what is God, we will end up enduring what is not God. We can not live life without endurance, period!! But that is not the will of God for us, hence sending this word.
Enduring anything outside divine will, is a labour in vain. It is a blind endurance. I call that, “foolish endurance”. Sadly, that is what many are being talked into by some concerned people. No destiny can be fulfilled under blind or foolish endurance. You must know that. In fact, destiny is destroyed and wasted by blind endurance.
For instance, if not for divine rescue, Samson’s destiny was almost destroyed because he endured Delilah. May none of us endure the wrong people, purposes, places, or circumstances in Jesus’ precious name. Amen
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR YOU TODAY!
“They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; For as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people, and My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.”
“They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth children for trouble; For they shall be the descendants of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them.” Isaiah 65:21-23 NKJV